App review: Swapps! (for Android)

App switching can be one of the biggest hindrances to an enjoyable smartphone experience.
The stock multitasking tray on Android can become cumbersome, and it’s also fairly limited in only showing the apps you have in the background. It forces you to go back and launch apps from the app screen, and this can quickly become very frustrating for users who multitask.

Swapps! is a side launcher that is accessible at any time; it offers a painless, and quick app switching alternative. Swiping from the side opens a drawer, inside there are three sections:

1) Starred apps. This is where you can pin your favourite and most used apps.

2) Recently used. This shows your most recently opened apps, which is very useful for quick switching. You can also kill background processes by holding onto an icon.

3) All apps. This section shows all the apps installed on your device. Applications are sorted in alphabetical order and are easy to find as there are pop-up letters for quick scrolling.

Swapps! allows you to switch apps from wherever you are, simply by swiping in from the side.

By holding onto any app icon, you can access ‘app info’, which is useful for fast uninstall actions, and for clearing data or cache.

In the settings, you can select how many starred apps and favourite apps are viewable — you can have up to fifteen apps each. You can also customise the active spot width, positioning, height, size and animation. You can also toggle haptic feedback, and the indicator icon in the status bar.

The free version has a small 'free apps' advertisement on the bottom of the drawer, which does not affect the functionality. However, if you opt to purchase the full version for $2.69, you will get rid of the ads and will be provided with more customisation tools.

You can customise Swapps! and select how many apps you want to appear in the starred and favourites lists.

The full version of Swapps! allows you to remove app names in the launcher, pin more than 15 starred apps, add widgets to the starred section, blacklist apps, change drawer width and colour, text colour, and there are more sliding animations to choose from.

While in use during our tests, there was no lag and apps loaded almost instantaneously from the launcher.

This simple but useful app will save you a lot of time. If you want a seamless app switching experience, we recommend it.

Pros: One of the best app switchers available; increases productivity; quick, simple and easy to use

Cons: A search feature would be useful; you have to purchase the unlocked version for extra features

Bottom line: Swapps! is a simple app switching app that proved to be very efficient, fast and easy to use. This app will save you a lot of time and frustration while multitasking.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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